A gold and agarwood archer's ring, Qing dynasty, 18th century

拍品描述

PROPERTY FROM A EUROPEAN FAMILY COLLECTION the interior gold lining incised with an inscription (2) While initially conceived as practical jewellery to protect one’s hand in archery, the ‘archers’ ring’ soon became embraced as an ornamental symbol of Qing luxury, blending hunting traditions of the Manchu ruling class with the opulence of the court. Aside from the jadeite rings favoured by the Qianlong Emperor, archers’ rings made of fragrant agarwood and inlaid with auspicious symbols in beads of gold appear to have been particularly popular. Compare a closely related ring sold at Bonhams Melbourne, 3rd May 2016, lot 236; and another, lined with gold and inlaid with pearls forming the phrase shouming yongchang (‘may you have enduring longevity), preserved in the National Palace Museum, Taipei (accession no. 故雜000930), formerly included in an imperial baishijian box of treasures.

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